Customer Loyalty During Tough Times...
Each Sunday when I set out to do the grocery shopping for the week, I find myself hesitating whether I should jump on the highway to Hannaford or go down the road to Shaw’s. I have been frequenting Hannaford for almost 10 years and really like the store. The store is clean, the people are friendly and improvements over the last couple of years have propelled the “value” of the store. The new seafood area provides a lot of fresh choices and the butcher counter showcases a lot of choice meats letting the buyer choice what they’d like (versus having to pick through the pre-packaged stuff). Hannaford seems to be more expensive than their competition, but it is a real nice place to shop.
When I moved to New Hampshire a couple of months ago, I needed to find a new place to do my grocery shopping. There is a Hannaford a couple of exits north, but decided to try out Shaw’s because it is closer. Similar to Hannaford, Shaw’s is clean and the people are nice (who isn’t nice in NH!), but the store is definitely missing the “wow” factor. I’m amazed how the drab colors and the unimpressive seafood and meat counters sway my decision to shop there. I’m in the business of talking about “the customer experience”, but this particular scenario really hits home. When I’m at Hannaford, I feel good, I like to be there, and I’m enjoying my shopping experience. The same does not hold true at Shaw’s.
What does hold true at Shaw’s are the great prices (or perceived great prices). Being a Shaw’s loyalty member (& showing my card at checkout) brings me a lot of savings each visit. Each visit to Shaw’s, my receipt shows a savings of $5-$15 and without a doubt the overall cost is much less than my receipt at Hannaford. In addition, for each penny spent at Shaw’s, I am able to patronize a Gulf or Irving gas station and receive a discount on gas. Earlier this month, I was able to fill my tank for $2.43/gallon ($10 off due to points earned).
In these hard economic times, I find it harder and harder to frequent the stores I love, because that inner voice is telling me that I need to shop smarter – and in this instance, the perceived savings is shopping smarter (to me). I hate to be a flakey customer, but until the economy gets better, I will think twice before shopping at Hannaford. Possibly Hannaford could provide some benefits – like a customer rewards program for “preferred customers” or even itemize money saved for shopping that day (I know there are some – I look for the bargains). Sometimes it is just the perception of saving – even though I was able to take 62 cents per gallon of gas in the example above, my last fill only resulted in a savings of $1.37; minimal in the scale of things, but I still like getting that Shaw’s receipt about free gas no matter what the scale.
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